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The 1688 Revolution created a different type of state. It was still run by a monarch (or rather two of them, William and Mary) but, however much they and many politicians—especially Tories—disliked the idea, the monarch’s title to the throne was effectively derived from parliamentary statute. Parliament, meeting for several months every year, was now a permanent presence, a proper institution. Without its active consent, it was impossible for kings to govern. England (soon to be Great Britain and then the United Kingdom, with the unions with Scotland in 1707 and Ireland in 1800) was now a parliamentary state. But how well did parliament really represent the country?
Contributors— Robin Eagles Stephen Farrell Stuart Handley Charles Littleton Philip Salmon Paul Seaward